FAQ: How We Cover Companies / Products

By: John Honovich, Published on Jan 06, 2011

In this report, we explain how we cover companies and products on IPVM. This will be most useful for manufacturers who want to understand what we will (and will not) do for them. For readers, generally, this may provide insight into how we research and write reports.

Overview

There are 3 fundamental practices that make IP Video Market different that traditional analysts and magazines:

We only write original articles. We never re-run or rephrase manufacturer 'contributions'

Our articles are technical and cover pricing in depth

We do not accept advertising, sponsorships, consulting, etc from manufacturers

Also, keep in mind that we are former integrators (from the tech/engineering side) so unlike most analysts or magazine editors, we have deep industry experience. We will probe for problems or issues in your products/ positioning and look to call those out in our reports. This is what makes our service uniquely valuable to integrators and end users.

How Do You Decide on What to Cover?

When it comes to manufacturers, we are most focused on covering new developments - product releases, financial reports, investments, acquisitions. When those events happen, contact us.

Secondly, we want to analyze / explain the value and positioning of different products / product portfolios. The most important determinant is how different / unique your offering is (lower price, more functions, better focus onspecific application, etc.). If you simply re-brand other's products, we almost certainly will not cover you.

For Coverage, Who in My Company Should Speak to You?

We want to speak to people who deeply understand the products and technologies you offer. This is more important than title (we speak with CEOs, VPs of Marketing, Product Managers, CTOs, System Engineers, etc.). In general, though, PR people do not have the technical depth to field the questions that we ask.

Will You Republish My Press Release?

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No. We never republish press releases. If the event is very interesting, we may write our own original article. In that article, we will link back to your release on your website.

Will You Republish My Case Study / Project Announcement?

No. We never republish case studies nor project announcements. Additionally, we almost never cover them unless they represent a massive win or strategic change to the company's business.

Can I Advertise or Sponsor Your Site?

No. We do not accept any advertising nor sponsorships. Unlike the security trade magazines who live off of manufacturer promotional money, we want to minimize our ties to manufacturers.

Can I Hire You to Consult for My Company?

No. We do not do any consulting for manufacturers. Again, this is to minimize ties to manufacturers. If you want a consultant to publicly endorse you, hire the analysts or big name consultants. If you want real help on product or company strategy, find a good integrator and get them to help (they know far more about the reality of surveillance than the analysts).

Can We Review Your Articles Before they are Released?

Generally No but there are 2 important exceptions:

Non-Public Information: If you are providing us non-public information, we will let you look at it to make sure that we are not disclosing non-public information that you do not want shared.

Advanced Technical Details: When we do tests, we may examine low level functions that can have a material impact on performance. On these occasions we will share your preliminary findings with you, allowing you to provide feedback on different settings to use (e.g., "try Mode X with a setting of 5 instead on Mode Y with a Setting of 1")

If We Do Not Like Your Coverage, Can We Have it Removed?

No. We do not remove anything simply because a vendor finds it to be negative to their image.

If I Believe Something You Wrote is Wrong, What Should I do?

Send us an email immediately, explaining the specific issues and providing technical and pricing details (as appropriate) that shows why we are mistaken. I'll personally respond within 12 hours. The more details you provide, the more likely we are to update the article (sometimes with a correction or an addition to provide your feedback).

Can I Mention My Company in the Comments or Discussion Group?

Yes. Make sure that the reference is relevant to the discussion and that you provide a technical/ operational description that adds to the conversation and explains the fit. However, do not post a one sentence promotion of your company. These will be deleted immediately.

How Can I 'Influence' or 'Support' You?

We want to minimize our relationships with manufacturers, especially financial (as this is the link that we find corrupts the magazines and analysts the most). The best thing you can do is to build our trust in your company. To do so, provide honest, intelligent feedback on your products and technologies. If you are a PR person, facilitate direct contact with your best technical/ product people. This makes it easier and quicker for us to learn and report on substantial information useful for our readers.

Can I Mention Your Coverage in a Press Release or Marketing Material?

No, under no circumstances can you mention us. We do not want anyone to think or suspect we are providing you an endorsement. If you do so, we will demand you remove it immediately.

Can I Mention Your Coverage in My Internal Reports?

You can freely cite our coverage in any internal reports you have (product plans, business plans, sales plans, etc.) as long as you do not release them for public distribution.

Do You Offer Awards?

No. We think awards are almost always a scam.

Who Reads IP Video Market?

We have over 40,000 100,000+ visitors per month (in 2014) from around the world (review our traffic statistics). More specifically, key people at the overwhelming majority of integrators and manufacturers around the world follow the site closely, including many of the largest end users in security. We also have a 17,000+ 40,000+ mailing list in 2014. This is a key news source for many industry insiders and decision makers.

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The world's leading video surveillance information source, IPVM provides the best reporting, testing and training for 10,000+ members globally. Dedicated to independent and objective information, we uniquely refuse any and all advertisements, sponsorship and consulting from manufacturers.

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The world's leading video surveillance information source, IPVM provides the best reporting, testing and training for 10,000+ members globally. Dedicated to independent and objective information, we uniquely refuse any and all advertisements, sponsorship and consulting from manufacturers.